


After School

by nightbaron079



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 03:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1883571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightbaron079/pseuds/nightbaron079
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Martyrdom: Educator's Version</p>
            </blockquote>





	After School

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the Myojo August 2012 shoot. Too charai for my kokoro. Daiki is torpe and martyr. [Here's a visual aid of the muse of my feels.](http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab101/nightbaron079/visualaidlols.jpg)

**Part I**

"You tripped? Again?" Daiki asked with a laugh. Reina frowns (convincingly, she hopes, because he's just too adorable to be angry with) and sticks her tongue out at his direction.

"Sorry for being such a natural klutz, then. You should be happy I make your job worthwhile. What do you do on your spare time anyways," she said while leaning over to remove her shoes, not noticing how his face reddened slightly.

Thankfully he recovers. Enough.

"Solve crossword puzzles. Or fulfill my lifelong DJ dreams," he dead-panned, making her laugh. He found the antiseptic and began cleaning up the wound on her knee, gently dabbing on the cotton to prevent further pain.

"Ow," she mutetred softly. His head was bent over her knee so she couldn't see his face, but she could see the faint, telltale reddening of the back of his ears. Feeling playful, she lowered her head and blew softly into his ear, laughing when he jerked his head back in surprise.

"We're a bit jumpy today, aren't we?" she laughed, wondering why she was feeling so breathless.

Maybe it was that moment of unguarded alarm and vulnerability that passed his face.

Or how, for a moment, their faces were inches apart, and how she could feel his nearness more intently than ever before.

Their gazes held. Then he coughed, looked away, gave them both a chance to remember to breathe.

"Stop that," he stammered out, pressing down the bandage on her knee a little harder than necessary.

"Hey, that hurt!" she complained. "You're supposed to make me feel better!"  
"No pain, no gain. Don't go teasing your doctor then," he shot back. He stood up and began cleaning up the things he used for cleaning her wound.

"Why did you trip this time?" he asked, turning to throw the rubbish.

"I was... well... I wasn't paying attention..." she mumbled, looking down.

"Let me guess. Too busy looking at the stars? The sky? Staring after the love of your life?" When she fidgeted and didn't reply, he looked back in surprise.

"Wait, I'm actually right?" he said incrediously. Her response was throwing a pillow from one of the infirmary beds at him.

"Shut up."  
"I'm just enjoying your discomfort."  
"Will you stop commenting on my love life?"  
"You gave me license to do so since you told me you like him."  
"I was confessing under influence!"  
"Alcohol makes people say truths they won't normally admit."  
"...Don't go medical on me, Daiki."  
"I'm a doctor, what do you expect?"  
"It's not easy to do! How can you make it sound so easy?!" she cried out exasperatedly.  
"It's just three words, how hard can it be?" he says casually from the sink where he was cleaning his equipment.  
"How can saying 「I like you」 be easy?!" he stills and smiles slightly.  
"See? Easy." she opens her mouth and closes it again, thrown off by that shy grin.

"It's different when I say it to you though, Daichan," she whined. She thought she saw him stiffen for a split-second before continuing to sterilize the tweezers he used.

"Don't be such a coward. You're not in high school anymore."

"...well technically we _are_ in high school."  
"We're high school _teachers_ , I think that's pretty different."

She pouted, knowing that she was losing the argument.

 

"If you stay quiet forever someone's bound to get him first. He's actually quite popular despite his looks. "  
"Hey! You're just jealous because he's taller than you are."  
".............."

"Ha, so you _are_ jealous!" she said, some of her amusement showing in her voice. _Why is he so lovable--wait._

 

 

 

 

_What?_

 

 

"Oh, leave me alone!" he said, all crimson face and jerky, embarrassed movements.

"...But do you think I'll even stand a chance, though?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"He's at the gym right now."

"H-huh?"

"Gym. Alone. You know, perfect time for doing a confession?? You're a _girl_ , aren't you supposed to know these things?"

"Wait, why are you doing this?" she asked, in a loss for the turn their conversation has taken.

"I..." he started, stopped, at a loss for words as well. They stared at each other, locked in each other's gaze. He looked down, coughing, breaking the spell they both had cast. Running his hand through his dishevelled hair, he looked back to her.

"I... I just want you to be happy."

 

They exchanged a few more words. She was thanking him: for the bandage, for talking, for their friendship, for his care... for something. Everything. Something she can't name, a thing she was almost afraid to name, to recognize, acknowledge.

As she made her way to the gym to where the person she liked was, all she could hear was her heart beating loud and hard in her chest, and _his_ voice, that one line that struck a chord deep within her, resounding in her head. A whisper. Not annoying. Just there.

 

 

_"I... I just want you to be happy."_

 

 

**Part II**

She went into the gym, nervous and almost wanting to go back. It was empty, though, and all she had for company were the empty bleacher seats and the faint smell of leather and perspiration.

Dejected, she went to the metal container that held the basketballs. Picking one up, she pushed all her frustrations and threw the ball with all her might. She missed the ring by a long stretch but she kept throwing the balls, not even caring that not one went in, not stopping until all the balls were littered on the floor.

"Aaah~ I guess I just have to clean up again," a voice said, and she turned in surprise. He was leaning at the gym door's frame, spinning the lace of his whistle. The last basketball fell from her suddenly limp fingers, and it was suddenly a little bit harder to breathe.

"Feel a little better?" he asked, and she blinked, realizing that he was already standing beside her. He began picking up the basketballs and shooting them into the metal container that originally held them.

"W-what?" she said nervously.

 

"You looked kinda angry. I shoot hoops when anything goes wrong too. Then when the balls don't go in I can be angry at the ring being too far up." he said, glancing down at her and smiling that smile that she has always loved.  
"Um..."  
"Why is sensei here anyway?"  
"I... I was actually looking for you."

"...Eh?"

"The truth is... from the first time I saw you... I've come to really like you!" she said. She saw the shocked expression on his face and turned around to hide the blush that must be reddening her face at that moment.

"It's silly of me, isn't it? Confessing in the gym like this after school. It almost makes me feel like I'm a high school student--"

"Reina-sensei... I'm already with someone else."

She stopped. She already knew this was coming. The rejection.

Yet why does it still have to hurt this much?

She looked upwards before turning back around to face him. He was raising his hand, and now that she knew what to look for she could see it. The ring on his finger. It was simple and unassuming, a twist of silver to imitate a knot its only attempt at design.

And then she could predict the next words that he would say.

"I'm getting married soon."

She looked at him, stared at him long enough to will her eyes not to burst into tears.

And then she laughed.

"You actually fell for it, Yabu-sensei? I was just kidding!"

"R-really?" he said, and it hurt her pride a bit to hear how relieved he sounded.

But she knew it would hurt her pride more if he had even a hint of how she was even feeling right now. So she laughed once again, and even managed a playful punch at his shoulder.

"Really! I was just pulling your leg! Don't tell me you were just making that up do you can let me down without feeling too guilty then?" she asked, mock horror in her voice and real, too real pain in her chest.

"No, I wasn't making that up! That's mean, Reina-sensei~" he said, and she involuntarily flinched when he said her name. Blast him and his insistence to call all his colleagues by their first names.

"Sorry, Yabu-sensei. I didn't know you'll react that way," she said apologetically.

"It's okay," he said. He smiles, and in her mind she winces. _That smile._

"Who's the lucky girl then? Another teacher?"

"She teaches painting in a nearby art school. She sometimes holds free lessons, you can drop by if you like," and only the deaf could not hear that note of pride and love in his voice.

"Oh. Congratulations to the two of you!"

"Thank yoy very much, Reina-sensei. Can you please not tell anyone else about what happened today for a while? I wanted to announce it to the faculty..."

"Of course!" and she thinks how she'll never tell anyone how she almost made a fool of herself while getting her heart broken in the same time.

 

**Part III**

Her feet takes her back to the infirmary, and she doesn't even know why. Even though club activities were still ongoing, no one saw her as she swiftly went through staircases and corridors... to that place where she knew she can be herself.

She opened the door to the infirmary and went straight past a startled Daiki, already about to slip off his white coat.

"Reina-sensei? What--?" he asked, eyes wide as she sniffs and stalks off to the nearest bed.

"I'll borrow this for a while, okay?" she said thickly, trying to talk past the tears building up in her throat. Throwing herself over the bed, she lets the tears flow, not minding how embarrassing this would all be when she finally stops. She just lets all her tears out and cries out everything: the pain, frustration, guilt, confusion over relief, and a whole jumble of emotions.

"Wait, what happened? Did you get to talk to him?" Daiki asked. A loud sob erupted from her, and that was all he needed for an answer. He sat down on the bed across from hers, too helpless to speak, watching as she continued crying out.

"Someone did get to him first. What was I even thinking. Who wouldn't fall in love with him, with everything he's got? Why was I so stupid to believe that I even had a chance? Why?! Why can't I just like somebody else???" she shouted into her pillow, not even caring that he could hear, that anyone else could hear. But he shuts the door and goes to sit at the edge of her bed. He hovers over her, and with gentle eyes and gentle hands he pats her head, softly slowly stroking her hair without saying anything else. And she cries herself to exhaustion, wanting to give up on that small spark of hope that she felt as she thought about that small irrational jump of relief when she was dumped.

And his words, that one line that kept whispering at her heart. How happy she felt, and how happy she had made her feel countless times before. And how she went here, after everything, and how it was his face that she first remembered after that initial shock.

It was growing dark, she was losing sense of her surroundings, and now all she could really feel was the pain in her heart, and that hand slowly smoothing her hair, willing that pain to go away. And his voice that may have said "sorry", but she wasn't really sure.

And his voice, in her head, in her heart, saying that one line.

_"I... I just want you to be happy."_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She thinks she woke up, and she saw him hovering over her. Both arms were at the bed on each side of her, and he was looking at her with an expression she has never seen before. But then she turns and he withdraws and she falls back to sleep, reclining in the arms of dreams and sweet oblivion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She woke up, disoriented, worn out from all the crying she did. And the first thing she saw was his face.

He was asleep, lying on his chest at the bed across from hers. His lab coat was still on, and the sunlight was giving way to twilight outside. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes tiredly, having no energy to move from where she was. He scrunched up his nose in his sleep, and she had to smile. He was so adorable. So lovable--

 

 

 

 

 

she let that thought stay this time.

 

Standing up, she went to crouch at the floor beside his bed. His hair was covering his face, and she brushed his hair away from his forehead softly, afraid that he might wake up. When he remained still she dared to touch a shaking finger to his forehead, the soft skin of his eyelids, the tip of his nose, and even brushed her hand lightly over his lips.

And she asks herself why she didn't even notice anything at all.

All the signs were there for her.

 

 

Why did she turn to someone else...

 

 

 

 

 

...when she may have liked him from the start?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He stirs and she withdraws her hand quickly. He squints at her and smiles softly, and she almost starts crying again when he reaches out and pats her softly on the head.

 

 

"You okay?" he mumbles softly, still half asleep.

 

 

She smiles, nods her head.

 

 

"I think...

 

 

 

 

 

 

...thank you."

 


End file.
